章节正文
them that evening. The enthusiasm for Reform perceptibly
increased.
An hour later Winthrop came over to Beatrice and held out his
hand. I'm going to slip away," he said. "Good-night."
"Going away!" exclaimed Beatrice. Her voice showed such
apparently acute concern that Winthrop wondered how the best
of women could be so deceitful, even to be polite.
"I promised some men," he stammered, "to drive them down-town
to see the crowds."
Beatrice shook her head.
"It's far too late for that," she said. "Tell me the real
reason."
Winthrop turned away his eyes.
"Oh! the real reason," he said gravely" target="_blank" title="ad.庄重地，严肃地">gravely, "is the same old
reason, the one I'm not allowed to talk about. It's cruelly
hard when I don't see you," he went on, slowly dragging out
the words, "but it's harder when I do; so I'm going to say
`good-night' and run into town."
He stood for a moment staring moodily at the floor, and then
dropped into a chair beside her.
"And, I believe, I've not told you," he went on, "that on
Wednesday I'm running away for good, that is, for a year or
two. I've made all the fight I can and I lose, and there is
no use in my staying on here to--well--to suffer, that is the
plain English of it. So," he continued briskly, "I won't be
here for the ceremony, and this is `good-by' as well as
`good-night.'"
"Where are you going for a year?" asked Miss Forbes.
Her voice now showed no concern. It even sounded as though
she did not take his news seriously, as though as to his
movements she was possessed of a knowledge superior to his
own. He tried to speak in matter-of-fact tones.
"To Uganda!" he said.
"To Uganda?" repeated Miss Forbes. "Where is Uganda?"
"It is in East Africa; I had bad luck there last trip, but now
I know the country better, and I ought to get some good
shooting."
Miss Forbes appeared indifferentlyincredulous. In her eyes
there was a look of radiant happiness. It rendered them
bewilderingly beautiful.
"On Wednesday," she said. "Won't you come and see us again
before you sail for Uganda?"
Winthrop hesitated.
"I'll stop in and say `good-by' to your mother if she's in
town, and to thank her. She's been awfully good to me. But
you--I really would rather not see you again. You understand,
or rather, you don't understand, and," he added vehemently,
"you never will understand." He stood looking down at her
miserably.
On the driveway outside there was a crunching on the gravel of
heavy wheels and an aurora-borealis of lights.
"There's your car," said Miss Forbes. "I'll go out and see
you off."
"You're very good," muttered Winthrop. He could not
understand. This parting from her was the great moment in his
life, and although she must know that, she seemed to be making
it unnecessarily hard for him. He had told her he was going
to a place very far away, to be gone a long time, and she
spoke of saying "good-by" to him as pleasantly as though it
was his intention to return from Uganda for breakfast.
Instead of walking through the hall where the others were
gathered, she led him out through one of the French windows
upon the terrace, and along it to the steps. When she saw the
chauffeur standing by the car, she stopped.
"I thought you were going alone," she said.
"I am," answered Winthrop. "It's not Fred; that's Sam's
chauffeur; he only brought the car around."
The man handed Winthrop his coat and cap, and left them, and
Winthrop seated himself at the wheel. She stood above him on
the top step. In the evening gown of lace and silver she
looked a part of the moonlight night. For each of them the
moment had arrived. Like a swimmerstanding on the bank
gathering courage for the plunge, Miss Forbes gave a
trembling, shivering sigh.
"You're cold," said Winthrop, gently. "You must go in.
Good-by."
"It isn't that," said the girl. "Have you an extra coat?"
"It isn't cold enough for----"
"I meant for me," stammered the girl in a frightened voice.
"I thought perhaps you would take me a little way, and bring
me back."
At first the young man did not answer, but sat staring in
front of him, then, he said simply:
"It's awfully good of you, Beatrice. I won't forget it."
It was a wonderful autumn night, moonlight, cold, clear and
brilliant. She stepped in beside him and wrapped herself in
one of his great-coats. They started swiftly down the avenue
of trees.
"No, not fast," begged the girl, "I want to talk to you."
The car checked and rolled forward smoothly, sometimes in deep
shadow, sometimes in the soft silver glamour of the moon;
beneath them the fallen leaves crackled and rustled under the
slow moving wheels. At the highway Winthrop hesitated. It
lay before them arched with great and ancient elms; below, the
Hudson glittered and rippled in the moonlight.
"Which way do you want to go?" said Winthrop.
His voice was very grateful, very humble.
The girl did not answer.
There was a long, long pause.
Then he turned and looked at her and saw her smiling at him
with that light in her eyes that never was on land or sea.
"To Uganda," said the girl.
End
increased.
An hour later Winthrop came over to Beatrice and held out his
hand. I'm going to slip away," he said. "Good-night."
"Going away!" exclaimed Beatrice. Her voice showed such
apparently acute concern that Winthrop wondered how the best
of women could be so deceitful, even to be polite.
"I promised some men," he stammered, "to drive them down-town
to see the crowds."
Beatrice shook her head.
"It's far too late for that," she said. "Tell me the real
reason."
Winthrop turned away his eyes.
"Oh! the real reason," he said gravely" target="_blank" title="ad.庄重地，严肃地">gravely, "is the same old
reason, the one I'm not allowed to talk about. It's cruelly
hard when I don't see you," he went on, slowly dragging out
the words, "but it's harder when I do; so I'm going to say
`good-night' and run into town."
He stood for a moment staring moodily at the floor, and then
dropped into a chair beside her.
"And, I believe, I've not told you," he went on, "that on
Wednesday I'm running away for good, that is, for a year or
two. I've made all the fight I can and I lose, and there is
no use in my staying on here to--well--to suffer, that is the
plain English of it. So," he continued briskly, "I won't be
here for the ceremony, and this is `good-by' as well as
`good-night.'"
"Where are you going for a year?" asked Miss Forbes.
Her voice now showed no concern. It even sounded as though
she did not take his news seriously, as though as to his
movements she was possessed of a knowledge superior to his
own. He tried to speak in matter-of-fact tones.
"To Uganda!" he said.
"To Uganda?" repeated Miss Forbes. "Where is Uganda?"
"It is in East Africa; I had bad luck there last trip, but now
I know the country better, and I ought to get some good
shooting."
Miss Forbes appeared indifferentlyincredulous. In her eyes
there was a look of radiant happiness. It rendered them
bewilderingly beautiful.
"On Wednesday," she said. "Won't you come and see us again
before you sail for Uganda?"
Winthrop hesitated.
"I'll stop in and say `good-by' to your mother if she's in
town, and to thank her. She's been awfully good to me. But
you--I really would rather not see you again. You understand,
or rather, you don't understand, and," he added vehemently,
"you never will understand." He stood looking down at her
miserably.
On the driveway outside there was a crunching on the gravel of
heavy wheels and an aurora-borealis of lights.
"There's your car," said Miss Forbes. "I'll go out and see
you off."
"You're very good," muttered Winthrop. He could not
understand. This parting from her was the great moment in his
life, and although she must know that, she seemed to be making
it unnecessarily hard for him. He had told her he was going
to a place very far away, to be gone a long time, and she
spoke of saying "good-by" to him as pleasantly as though it
was his intention to return from Uganda for breakfast.
Instead of walking through the hall where the others were
gathered, she led him out through one of the French windows
upon the terrace, and along it to the steps. When she saw the
chauffeur standing by the car, she stopped.
"I thought you were going alone," she said.
"I am," answered Winthrop. "It's not Fred; that's Sam's
chauffeur; he only brought the car around."
The man handed Winthrop his coat and cap, and left them, and
Winthrop seated himself at the wheel. She stood above him on
the top step. In the evening gown of lace and silver she
looked a part of the moonlight night. For each of them the
moment had arrived. Like a swimmerstanding on the bank
gathering courage for the plunge, Miss Forbes gave a
trembling, shivering sigh.
"You're cold," said Winthrop, gently. "You must go in.
Good-by."
"It isn't that," said the girl. "Have you an extra coat?"
"It isn't cold enough for----"
"I meant for me," stammered the girl in a frightened voice.
"I thought perhaps you would take me a little way, and bring
me back."
At first the young man did not answer, but sat staring in
front of him, then, he said simply:
"It's awfully good of you, Beatrice. I won't forget it."
It was a wonderful autumn night, moonlight, cold, clear and
brilliant. She stepped in beside him and wrapped herself in
one of his great-coats. They started swiftly down the avenue
of trees.
"No, not fast," begged the girl, "I want to talk to you."
The car checked and rolled forward smoothly, sometimes in deep
shadow, sometimes in the soft silver glamour of the moon;
beneath them the fallen leaves crackled and rustled under the
slow moving wheels. At the highway Winthrop hesitated. It
lay before them arched with great and ancient elms; below, the
Hudson glittered and rippled in the moonlight.
"Which way do you want to go?" said Winthrop.
His voice was very grateful, very humble.
The girl did not answer.
There was a long, long pause.
Then he turned and looked at her and saw her smiling at him
with that light in her eyes that never was on land or sea.
"To Uganda," said the girl.
End
- enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm]
n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词) - reform [ri´fɔ:m] v.&n.改革；改良；革除 (初中英语单词)
- gravely [´greivli] ad.庄重地，严肃地 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- ceremony [´seriməni] n.典礼；礼仪；客气 (初中英语单词)
- seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)
- intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- moonlight [´mu:nlait] n.&a.月光(的) (初中英语单词)
- swimmer [´swimə] n.游泳者 (初中英语单词)
- plunge [plʌndʒ] v.插进 n.投入；冲击 (初中英语单词)
- gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
- swiftly [´swiftli] ad.迅速地，敏捷地 (初中英语单词)
- highway [´haiwei] n.公路，大道 (初中英语单词)
- grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- radiant [´reidiənt] a.发光的 n.光源(体) (高中英语单词)
- awfully [´ɔ:fuli] ad.令人畏惧地 (高中英语单词)
- gravel [´grævəl] n.砾石 vt.铺砾石 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- pleasantly [´plezntli] ad.令人愉快地；舒适地 (高中英语单词)
- terrace [´terəs] n.梯田 vt.使成梯田 (高中英语单词)
- smoothly [´smu:ðli] ad.光滑地；顺利地 (高中英语单词)
- briskly [´briskli] ad.轻快地；活泼地 (英语四级单词)
- parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)
- deceitful [di´si:tful] a.欺骗的，骗人的 (英语六级单词)
- matter-of-fact [mætərɔv´fækt] a.实事求是的 (英语六级单词)
- indifferently [in´difrəntli] ad.不关心地；冷淡地 (英语六级单词)
- incredulous [in´kredjuləs] a.不(轻易)相信的 (英语六级单词)
- arched [´ɑ:tʃid] a.弓形(结构)的 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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